Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Let the games begin! From the New York Times best-selling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry--a glorious and immersive novel about two childhood friends, once estranged, who reunite as adults to create video games, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives. On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. They borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo a game where players can escape the confines of a body and the betrayals of a heart, and where death means nothing more than a chance to restart and play again. This is the story of the perfect worlds Sam and Sadie build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success: Money. Fame. Duplicity. Tragedy. Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, games as artform, technology and the human experience, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
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Reviews

Photo of Olanda
Olanda@thisisnotolanda
5 stars
May 27, 2025

I love this book so much! If you’re looking for something heartwarming and about love but not specifically a romance between two characters, this is perfect! Makes you think about how to appreciate the relationships you have with close family and friends. While this is mainly about games programming and design, you do not need prior knowledge or any interest of gaming in general, as the plot is so much more than love for games.

+7
Photo of julia
julia@juliwaves
3.5 stars
May 27, 2025

not sure how i feel about this book. i’m surprised more reviews don’t mention the predatory relationship that’s depicted early on—nothing inherently wrong with portraying that, obviously, but i feel like this is as much a story about surviving abuse and violence as much as it is about friendship and forgiveness, which is the part everyone emphasizes

honestly this really depressed me (this interpretation might also be because i’m writing this at 3 am, lol). i feel like where this lands is that life is unfair to marxes who deserve better, and that sams & sadies get to grow off of them 💀

overall these are complaints about the fact that the story makes me feel (bad), which i guess should be counted as a good thing. i was entertained by this book, even though i often didn’t quite enjoy it, and i was always curious enough about what would happen next. but yeah i found this very sad

+3
Photo of Jacqueline Kim
Jacqueline Kim@jackiekim
5 stars
May 20, 2025

Captivating

“You remind yourself that no one is paying any attention to you and it’s a perfect time for you to sit down in front of your computer and make another game”

Photo of Sara Fidati
Sara Fidati@sarafidati
4 stars
Apr 22, 2025

Da leggere se: 1) sai cos'è un easter egg 2) ti piace Spike Jonze, Charile Kaufman 3) hai un animo rococò 2000

Photo of Liana
Liana@liana
2.5 stars
Apr 13, 2025

Late to the Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow train, but wow—Sadie Green might be the most infuriatingly self-absorbed character I’ve ever read. Constantly shifting blame (mostly onto Sam), never truly apologizing, and somehow still painting herself as the victim. Their friendship? Built on mutual use. Marx? The only decent soul caught in their emotional crossfire. He deserved better. Honestly, I finished the book and just wanted to scream into the void.


+4
Photo of Joanna Tweedale
Joanna Tweedale@jotwe
3.5 stars
Apr 8, 2025

Not my usual type of read but I did read it. Some gaming speak and a steady plot.

+3
Photo of Carmen Malca
Carmen Malca@cramen
2 stars
Mar 22, 2025

i wasn’t really invested until about 70% through, and the ending felt incomplete

+1
Photo of Foggylong
Foggylong@foggylong
3 stars
Mar 6, 2025

It was long and flat… not terrible

Photo of Nika Khoshdel
Nika Khoshdel@nika
5 stars
Jan 12, 2025

I adored it!

Photo of Frida Wiig
Frida Wiig @okapri
5 stars
Jan 11, 2025

Great pace, lovely character developmemt and intimate

+3
Photo of Mitch
Mitch@mitch
4 stars
Jan 9, 2025

excellent character development and for the most part great pacing. lost me a little after the big thing that happens but the finale is strong.

+3
Photo of julie reads
julie reads@juliepalacio
3 stars
Jan 8, 2025

i’m not a gamer

Photo of Pedro Rodarte
Pedro Rodarte@perodarte
4.5 stars
Jan 6, 2025

perdi 15 anos de energia vital lendo isso aqui, ótimo livro

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss
5 stars
Jan 3, 2025

Definitivamente uma montanha russa de emoções, da maneira mais clichê que eu poderia descrever, para um livro que passou longe de ser clichê.

Algo que começa despretensioso e se torna emocionante, se torna frustrante e complicado, um emaranhado de sentimentos que não pode ser desfeito. Me encontrei com falta de ar, envelhecendo junto com os personagens e sentindo a perda deles, sentindo especialmente o quão rápido o tempo passa e o peso de ter só uma vida, não várias, para fazer suas escolhas e viver suas consequências.

É perceptível os arrependimentos e o que os personagens teriam feito diferente, e essa é uma das partes mais bonitas, porque você acompanha exatamente essas ações feitas na juventude e entende que sim poderiam ter outros caminhos, mas não é possível prever e nem refazer, passar pelo nível novamente como se fosse um jogo.

Talvez eu tenha me apegado demais no personagem, me visto demais nele, vivido através dele, mas quando Marx morre, perdi um pouco de vida também, o ânimo de continuar acompanhando o livro. Terminei sentindo falta do Marx tanto quanto seus companheiros.

Um dos melhores livros que li em anos.

This review contains a spoiler
+16
Photo of Mitul Shah
Mitul Shah@ms
5 stars
Dec 31, 2024

loved this book sm. exciting plot twists and a wholesome story about friendship

+2
Photo of Anna
Anna@annazc
4.5 stars
Dec 8, 2024

This story was so complicated. I loved the evolution of each character and their wholesome and sometimes infuriating friendships. Initially this book felt slightly tedious as it was rather slow, but as you become more invested in each character you cant stop yourself from reading just one more chapter. I have to admit that I found the female MC more than a little annoying though… she seemed overly unreasonable on many occasions. I have to say however that I do feel inspired to start playing some more video games :)

+7
Photo of Molly Bridge
Molly Bridge@mollyb
4.5 stars
Nov 17, 2024

😭😭😭

+5
Photo of victoria lim
victoria lim@vickiminaj
4.5 stars
Nov 13, 2024

I did not read the summary before starting on this book and it was not what I expected; not in a bad way as I still really enjoyed it. maybe I haven’t read enough but I don’t think gaming, as a context/plot is common for fictional novels. I found it romantic, kinda geeky, kinda sad, creatively put together and heartwarming with friendship as a key theme.

+3
Photo of Luke Pearce
Luke Pearce@aldouslanark
2 stars
Nov 5, 2024

It would be especially unkind to say, but this feels a bit like a novel Elon Musk would write.

The first third or so is the best and the two main characters are generally well drawn. Their initial friendship and foray into game design is an enticing read. The author is clearly intelligent and knowledgable, and the book is full of references for the curious.

That last point is one of the problems. The frequency of references and accompanying explanations doesn’t help the narrative, especially when some side characters only exist to deliver an info-dump that just happens to be exactly what one of the protagonists needs to hear.

The video game theme is handled well at start. I’m a gamer but no designer; nevertheless, it was gripping to read about the duo creating their first game and the emotional punch behind the clash over the game engine.

Unfortunately, the gaming theme is not threaded so well for the rest of the story. Multiple characters make references to 1ups and ‘game overs’ and how these relate to life which is not only cliche and repetitive but also overused to the extent that it reveals nothing about these people. A section toward the end based in a role playing game is an improvement, but stretches credulity as a game and a character moment.

A shocking event later in the novel ultimately feels underdeveloped, and only seems to happen to further explore the friendship of the main characters. Elsewhere, some of the dialogue (of which there is far too much in general) is extremely clunky and didactic. One conversation during a dramatic flashback comes off as completely unbelievable and unlike any conversation I can imagine two human beings having in such circumstances.


This review contains a spoiler
+3
Photo of Jacob Hopkins
Jacob Hopkins@jhopkins
3 stars
Oct 18, 2024

Listening to the horrendous performance from the narrator of the audiobook made what would have been a decent book, pretty intolerable. I was entertained, but man did the author love making lists… if I had to hear the monotone, drudging through one more list of things Sam and Sadie felt or did… this book was def overhyped.

+1
Photo of Caroline Piephoff
Caroline Piephoff@piep
4.5 stars
Oct 9, 2024

Lovely depiction of friendship, love, and video games. I wish Sam and Sadie the best

+2
Photo of Paige Paul
Paige Paul@ppaul13
4 stars
Oct 3, 2024

I really enjoyed this book - I had no expectations going in and I thought the different styles and characters really drove the story. A lot going on as far as topics covered, but overall a sweet story about friendship and challenges of programming games.

+2
Photo of mara henderson
mara henderson@maraaaaaaaaa
4.5 stars
Sep 4, 2024

wondered why it’s getting so much love. finished the book in two days it’s so utterly readable.

Life is long, unless it’s not.

My 7th grade math teacher Mr. Dillenberger was named in the acknowledgements for being one of the oregon trail creators. What a guy. <3

+3
Photo of Emilia Vulliamy
Emilia Vulliamy@smallville_em
4.5 stars
Aug 31, 2024

What a beautiful tale of friendship, success, love and how the three things never intertwine seamlessly. This was entirely character driven (which I adore in books) but didn't suffer with the same slow-pace-syndrome that many character driven books can sometimes fall victim to.

I found myself very attached to the three main characters, especially Marx. He was my favourite character by a landslide. I really enjoyed Sadie's character as well, and thought the dynamic between Sadie and Marx was so interesting considering they are introduced to each other by Sam. All that being said, I think Sam is objectively the most interesting character. The most dislikable, but definitely the most interesting. I couldn't figure him out. Every time I felt sorry for him, he'd do or say something that made me dislike him, and every time I disliked him, he'd do or say something that made me feel sorry for him.

The dynamic between the three was just beautifully written, incredibly complex and stunningly layered. I actually found a playlist on Spotify to listen to whilst reading that was described as "a love letter to Sam, Sadie and Marx". I loved how Gabrielle Zevin made the book about all three characters equally, despite the fact that Sam and Sadie have childhood history that Marx isn't a part of. Even the side characters were extremely well-developed. Zevin is objectively masterful at character-creation.

The actual storyline itself was also so captivating. I found it really interesting reading about video games and the process of creating them. It's not something I've ever thought about before and I genuinely feel like I learnt something new about a topic I previously knew absolutely nothing about. The amount of focus on video games was perfectly balanced with the other aspects of the story, making for a well-balanced plot line with wonderful characters.

All in all, an incredible book. Honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't give it five stars because this review certainly makes it seem like I should have. But I did absolutely love this and would very much like to continue reading more of Zevin's work.

+3

Highlights

Photo of anne
anne@gh0stlikesreading

Sie fing mit Pilates an und warf Dovs Handschellen ins Meer.

Page 257

Jaaa

Photo of anne
anne@gh0stlikesreading

Für jeden angehenden Künstler gibt es eine Zeit, in der die Vision die Fähigkeiten übersteigt. Diese Zeit übersteht man nur, indem man trotzdem weiterarbeitet.

Page 105
Photo of Frida Wiig
Frida Wiig @okapri

This is what time travel is. It's looking at a person, and seeing them in the present and the past, concurrently.

Photo of Frida Wiig
Frida Wiig @okapri

You couldn't be old and still be wrong about as many things as she'd been wrong about, and it was a kind of immaturity to call yourself old before you were.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

Why wouldn't you tell someone you loved them? Once you loved someone, you repeated it until they were tired of hearing it. You said it until it ceased to have meaning. Why not? Of course, you goddamn did.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

"What isa game?" Marx said. "It's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It's the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever."

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

You remember with granularity the geography of cities, hotel room floor plans, video game levels, the scars of ex-lovers, times you've said the wrong thing, and the clothes people wore.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

Love you madly.


The way to turn an ex-lover into a friend is to never stop loving them, to know that when one phase of a relationship ends it can transform into something else. It is to acknowledge that love is both a constant and a variable at the same time.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

Sam used to say that Marx was the most fortunate person he had ever met-he was lucky with lovers, in business, in looks, in life. But the longer Sadie knew Marx, the more she thought Samn hadn't truly under- stood the nature of Marx's good for- tune. Marx was fortunate because he saw everything as if it were a fortuitous bounty. It was impossible to knoW were persimmons his favorite fruit, or had they just now be- come his favorite fruit because there they were, growing in his own back- yard?

I used to feel like Marx, I need to feel like Marx again, like myself!!! I'm the luckiest alive and not because everything works out perfectly but because I see in a different light!!!!

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

"I loved being a student actor. I was fully devoted to it, and now I'm not. I think if l'd become a pro- fessional, I would likely have fallen out of love with it anyway. It isn't a sadness, but a joy, that we don't do the s things for the length of our lives."

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

There were so many people who could be your lover, but, if she was honest with herself, there were relatively few people who could move you creatively.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

There were so many people who could be your lover, but, if she was honest with herself, there were relatively few people who could move you creatively.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

Tell me I don't know you, Samn thought. Tell me I don't know you when I could draw both sides of this hand, your hand, from memory.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

Sam's doctor said to him, "The good news is that the pain is in your head." But I am in my head, Sam thought.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

It is relatively easy to pack up your life when you're twenty-three,

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

It was never worth worrying about someone you didn't love. And it wasn't love if you didn't worry.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

"Hi," Sam said, without looking at her."You can watch if you want. I'm going to play until the end of this life." "That's a good philosophy," Anna said. She concentrated on the game

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

The universe, he felt, was just-or if not just, fair enough.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

If Marx at twenty-two hada prob- lem, it was that he was attracted to too many things and people. Marx's favorite adjective was "interesting." The world seenmed filled with inter- esting books to read, interesting plays and movies to see, interesting games to play, interesting food to taste, and interesting people to have sex with and sometimes even to fall in love with. To Marx, it seemed foolish not to love as many things as you could.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

"We've never...It's more than romantic. It's better than romance. It's friendship."

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

How your sense of self could change depending on your location.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

Los Angeles, especially when taken from a distance, was not a beautiful city, but she could will herself to be beautiful, if only for two weeks. Beauty, after all, is almost always a matter of angles and resolve.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

But this was classic Sam-he had learned to tolerate the sometimes-painful present by living in the future.

Photo of larissa campos
larissa campos @ssecretgardenss

Promise me you'll always forgive me, and I promise Il always forgive you." These, of course, are the kinds of vows young people feel comfortable making when they have no idea what life has in store for them.